abstains

verb

present tense third-person singular of abstain
as in refuses

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstains
  1. refuses
  2. rejects
  3. turns down
  4. hesitates
Verb
  • For Wilder residents, the La Catedral raid remains an open wound that refuses to heal.
    — Philip Wang, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
  • After that, Grace all but disappears from Crystal Lake, exposing the haphazard plotting of a show that refuses to commit.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of refuses
Verb
  • But the arrangement rejects the conflict of interest protections that his recent predecessors in office had instituted.
    — Fatima Hussein, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Israel rejects this, viewing the territory as disputed rather than occupied.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of rejects
Verb
  • The candidate who turns down your offer doesn’t necessarily go on to repeat what was heard.
    — Jon Michail, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • Pairing a floral sundress with a pair of white sneakers turns down the volume on the feminine formality, making the classic piece a bit less fussy.
    — Amber Rambharose, InStyle, 18 June 2026
Definition of turns down
Verb
  • Deanna hesitates, still wounded by the estrangement, but opens the house again.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Much of the film plays out in close-up as Alex watches, plays, thinks, hesitates.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of hesitates
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

abstaining (from)
abstains
abstains (from)
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Cite this Entry

“Abstains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstains. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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